Reaper

I grabbed Jesse’s hand, squeezing it for some comfort. He smiled down at me, squeezing back, letting me know that he was there. I could see the fear in his eyes – he was nervous, too. We both turned to stare at the mall in front of us.

This is it. If Sawyer knew what I was doing for him…

“Okay,” Simon said, eyeing everyone in the room, making sure we were all paying close attention. I was hanging on his every word. “Here’s the plan:’

“We take Charlie and Jesse to a public place, like a mall. Somewhere that has few entrances and exits, but is easily navigated. Isis will have people there looking for her, I’m sure, and if Jesse is with her, he will be captured, as well. We will wait in the wings. Once they are captured, we can let Saphira, Forrest, and Lina track their locations using their various abilities. Track Charlie, and we’ll be led right to Isis.”

We all stared blankly, trying to process the information. I didn’t like the idea of being bait, but I had to admit that the plan was pretty solid. The Reaper’s tracking abilities were incredible, I felt like I could depend on them to come after Jesse and me. And if what Hunter had said was true, and Isis wanted me alive, then I could count on her taking me without killing me.

But still. The thought of being out there exposed to the one person I’d been running from for what felt like ages… it wasn’t appealing. It made my chest clench and my heart speed up – and not in the way it did when Sawyer was around.

Jesse cleared his throat. “And what if you guys can’t find us?” he asked softly, wringing his hands together. “What then?”

We all stared at each other, glancing from face-to-face. No one really knew what to say, because the answer was obvious. Then, we’d be gone for good. And I wasn’t sure that we’d ever see the outside world again.

Jesse pulled me out of my thoughts. “Well, Red, I guess we could make the most out of our freedom before we’re captured again…” He tried to smile, and it sort of worked, but his words made my heart sink a little. He looked at my hair, and frowned. “I guess I can’t call you Red anymore.”

I tucked a strand of my dyed brown hair behind my ear subconsciously, feeling a little sad.

We headed into the massive mall, carefully trudging through the snow on the ground. It had gotten considerably more white on the ground since we’d last been free to walk around without the Reaper’s supervision. I realized now that that must have been at least two months.

As we strolled through the walkways, we looked into some of the stores, and chatted. I tried to make small talk as he tried to pick out a not-so-weather-appropriate outfit for me from Victoria’s Secret, but a part of me was starting to feel… off. I wanted to enjoy myself with Jesse, but the truth was that my head wasn’t in the moment.

All I could think about was my past. I thought about Mandi and Fitch, who I’m sure were worried sick about where I was. I knew Mandi would be searching the news stations day and night for any information about me – she was so protective. And I’m sure Fitch would be upset, wondering where I was and what to tell Mandi to make her feel better. I thought about the bar and my boss – who would he get to cover for Jesse and me? I thought of my family, of my parents that were never really home and my brother who was a doctor and Noah, Noah who was there for me always. Noah who was recovering from a wound he suffered in Afghanistan while I was here running for my life. I felt awful because I couldn’t even be there for him. I had disappeared.

And they all believed I was dead.

Suddenly, and idea was forming in my head. It was a stupid idea, a really stupid idea, one that I didn’t even consider at first. But after a few minutes of staring blankly at a fifty-dollar bra I didn’t want, I began to think that maybe it was possible. Maybe – just maybe – I could pull it off before Isis showed up.

I felt around in my pockets – I had about a dollar in change.

Without telling Jesse, I hurried out of the store. Some of the other people looked at me strangely, probably assuming I was stealing something, judging by my dirty hair and pulled-up hoodie, but I didn’t let that bother me. I could hear Jesse coming after me, but I was too preoccupied with the thought that had grown like a parasite in my head.

I needed to find a pay phone.

My heart thudded as I looked wildly around me, finally spotting a pay phone nearby. Jeez, these things really still exist? I was grateful, though, because I hadn’t seen my cell phone in months and I had no way of getting it back, so a pay phone would have to do.

I rushed toward it as Jesse caught up with me, swearing and out of breath. I quickly deposited the coins in my pocket and dialed Noah’s number, one of the few I had memorized without my contacts.

“Charlie, what the hell?” Jesse hissed, his eyes wild. “Who are you even calling?”

I bit my lip nervously as the phone began to ring, ignoring Jesse.

“Hello?” Noah answered, somewhat bewildered as to why a number from Chicago was calling him.

“Noah?” I breathed. I had a million different emotions running through my head at that moment, but the one that stood out was relief. I had no idea how badly I wanted to hear his voice at that moment, to know he was there.

There was some shuffling on the other end. “Who is this?” he demanded angrily.

I nearly gasped in surprise. “It’s Charlie,” I responded, surprised and a little hurt. “Noah, it’s me, it’s your sister.”

He was silent for a moment. I could hear my heart pounding in my chest.

“My sister is dead,” he replied curtly, his voice ice. “I had to identify her body two days ago. Don’t call back here again.”

And then he hung up.

I held the receiver in my hands, shaken. Noah really believed I was dead. He didn’t recognize my voice – hell, I barely recognize my voice, and it’s become so feeble from misuse in the past month. But I had hoped, a small part of me had hoped that he would have realized that there had been a mistake.

Jesse saw my face and immediately seemed to know what happened. His brows were furrowed in concern. He made a move to speak.

I held up a hand to stop him, choosing to use what few coins remained in my pocket to try to call him back. I panicked – I was a nickel short.

Before I could really freak out, Jesse handed me a nickel with a sad smile. There was an unspoken moment between us –he knew what I needed, beyond the nickel, was to talk to Noah. And even if he didn’t approve of what I was doing, and the Reapers would flip if they knew, he let me do what I needed to do.

I curled the cord around my hands nervously as the phone rang. Once, twice. I was beginning to get nervous.

“This is Private Noah Scott,” he answered, his tone clipped.

I took a deep breath. “You used to have a teddy bear named Cher when you were a kid that no one else knew about,” I said as fast as I could, trying to get the words out before he could hang up. Jesse gave me a quizzical look.

There was silence at the other end. Then, “How do you know that?”

I sighed, exasperated, letting out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. “You also snuck out to a strip club when you were 18 and paid me ten dollars not to tell Mom and Dad,” I recalled, avoiding Jesse’s confused gaze.

I heard Noah gasp. “Charlie?”

“Yes,” I told him. “Are you convinced now?”

“Oh my God, Charlie, you – you can’t – how – you’re dead,” he stuttered, surprised.

I looked around, hoping no one heard that. “I’m a little less dead, actually,” I mumbled. “Look, Noah, I called because – I’m okay,” I finally got out. I could feel my eyes welling up with tears, finally being able to talk to someone back home. “I mean, I’m not – not completely – I mean, no, I’m not dead.”

“Charlie, why did two bodies show up? Why did they say it was you?” His voice was pleading, hurt.

I ran my hand through my hair, suddenly realizing that this might not have been the best idea. “It’s a long story, Noah, and I don’t have time to explain, I’m sorry.” I swallowed hard, willing the tears back. “Listen, I’m calling to tell you that I love you, and that I’m alive, okay? I don’t know when I’ll be home, but – but I’m alive.”

“Where are you? I can come get you –“

The line went dead.

Again, I stared wide-eyed at the receiver in my shaking hand. Jesse was searching around in his pockets, but nothing. We had nothing. I couldn’t call him back, because I had no more money.

Because I was halfway across the country.

Because some lunatic wants to capture me and use me for God-knows-what.

Because my nightmares were coming true.

Because I was standing here waiting for her to do it.

I turned to Jesse. “Jess, let’s just go,” I said quickly, before I could think about what I was saying. “Just you and me. We could get out of here and go home, away from all this.”

“But, Red, we can’t, the plan-“

“Forget the plan,” I interrupted, grabbing his hand and leading him to the exit. “We could just run away and be home and end this.”

He yanked me back toward him, steadying me with one hand on my shoulder and looking me straight in the eyes. “Charlotte.” His voice was stern. I was still – I don’t think I’ve ever heard him use my full name before. He stared at me, his blue eyes wide, and full of fear. He suddenly reminded me of a young boy.

He was silent for a moment, searching my face. I’m not sure what he saw – probably my wild brown eyes and my messy dyed-brown hair and my pale skin and my protruding cheekbones – but whatever it was, it was enough to change his mind. He thought for a while, like he was debating something in his head. He ran his hand through his sandy blonde hair, letting out a shaky breath.

“Okay.”

I blinked. “Okay?”

He swallowed hard. “Okay, let’s bail,” he said quietly, grabbing my hand and pulling me with him.

And then, in a flash, he was tackled to the ground.

I was able to get a scream out of my throat before someone threw something over my head, and the world went black.



Sawyer scowled as he stood freely in front of the mall.

He rubbed at his wrists, which were newly freed from their constraints, and stretched his shoulders as he began to search the mall. Isis had freed Sawyer on the condition that he go track down Hunter.

Sawyer didn’t want to, of course. But the last time he had seen Hunter, he had attacked him – Hunter wasn’t exactly in Sawyer’s good graces. And if Isis was willing to let him live in exchange for Hunter’s location…

Without Charlotte in the picture, he failed to see why he shouldn’t.

Sawyer felt numb inside when he thought about Charlotte. It was as if someone had replaced what little heart he had with ice, burning cold behind his ribs. He could barely function being away from her, let alone knowing… believing…

He didn’t want to believe the news. It was difficult to ignore. There was DNA evidence to support it.

As he marched into the building, he looked around. He had tracked Hunter to this location the best he could, but there were a lot of people here. It was going to take some time to track him down. Sawyer’s ability wasn’t necessarily tracking – no, that was Saphira’s job. Lina could read minds, Forrest could distinguish smells. Simon could learn incredibly fast, and Hunter was incredibly strong.

But Sawyer wasn’t exactly sure what his unique ability was, at least not yet.

He could use his heightened senses to find Hunter, as well as some detective skills. But once he was here, he realized that finding someone who didn’t want to be found might prove more difficult than he had anticipated.

Suddenly, he was overtaken by an overwhelming sense of relief.

He wasn’t sure where it was coming from, but he could sense it, over all of the other people milling about. He knew who was feeling it, and for a few moments he stood incredibly still, unwilling to believe his Sense. No, that was impossible. It couldn’t be.

“Charlotte,” he breathed, so quietly that he barely heard himself.

He looked around frantically, trying to use his Senses to figure out where she was, if it was even her. Every human had a unique feeling when they were Sensed, and Sawyer knew what Charlie Felt like almost as well as he knew himself. He had thought about her and only her for the last month, wishing to be able to hold her in his arms just one more time.

Before he could finish his thoughts, he had found her. He spotted her curly brown hair – dyed, because he had asked her to – and her dark jeans and black hoodie. But, more than anything, he could see her big brown eyes looking around, scared. She finally looked at Jesse, who stood next to her.

His world stopped.

Charlie was alive. She was alive.

He didn’t know what came over him. As soon as she grabbed Jesse’s hand, he knew he had to get to her. His legs were moving before he could stop them and all he could see was her hand in Jesse’s, and did she even know what he had been through without her? All these thoughts raged in his mind and he decided to take Jesse down.

Charlie was his.

Once he reached Jesse, however, someone grabbed him and yanked him back, throwing something over his head.

The world went black.

He shouted Charlotte’s name pitifully just before he passed out.